


Post-Valentine's Day

by Annehiggins



Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-22
Updated: 2010-02-22
Packaged: 2017-10-07 11:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/64815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annehiggins/pseuds/Annehiggins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>St. Valentine <i>hates</i> Leonard McCoy</p>
            </blockquote>





	Post-Valentine's Day

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the "in the doghouse again" challenge within Live Journal's ST respect, on behalf of Team Jones
> 
> My thanks to my beta readers GraceandFire and Hitlikehammers

No one missed the change. For well over a week Captain James T. Kirk had fairly danced around the ship, his trademark grin nearly incandescent with joy. No one could get the reason for it out of him. They were equally unsuccessful when all that glee vanished into sudden, sullen gloom. But for some fucking reason, every last member of the damned crew seemed to think it was entirely the fault of one Leonard H. McCoy. And it was really pissing him off.

Especially since – God _damnit_ – they were right.

Because if he'd somehow failed to catch a clue from the frostbite-level cold shoulder Jim had directed his way, he certainly hadn't missed Jim not inviting him back to his quarters after the party or his failure to show up at for their usual pre-shift breakfast. So, yeah, Leonard knew he had done something. But he was fucked if he knew what it was!

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefingers in the aftermath of yet another crew member's accusing glare. This was why his marriage had failed; hell, why he sucked at relationships in general. He'd go about his day, doing and saying exactly what he always did, then wham! He'd crash into a wall of wounded anger for no discernible cause. Although this time he was absolutely certain St. Valentine had something to do with it.

Leonard turned on his heel then headed back up the corridor toward sickbay. It mystified him completely how a holiday that proved a constant bane to men everywhere had managed to survive for centuries, but it had. And if a fucking holiday could have a vendetta against a person, this one wanted Leonard maimed. Growing up he'd always broken up with someone just before it, or was in a relationship so new it made things awkward. Then there had been Jocelyn.

An otherwise intelligent and vibrant woman, his ex-wife had had firm _opinions_ about the appropriate way to celebrate the idiotic day. And naturally, part of that perfect day was the idea that he had to figure out how to make it perfect without the slightest clue from her. He'd never managed it. But she had. Nothing quite said 'happy Valentine's day' like coming home to find her celebrating in their bed with another man.

Another sigh, this time of relief, escaped as the doors of his personal kingdom closed behind him. Safe. No one would dare accost him here where he was master of all he surveyed. And had the hypos to show them the error of their ways if they had a momentary lapse in judgment. He almost smiled at the thought. Then reality intruded in the guise of his head nurse. Christine Chapel looked up from where she was treating a patient and bestowed upon him the most impressive 'how could you?' glare he'd ever seen. She followed it up with a 'fix this' glower that sent him scurrying into his office like a dog with his tail between his legs.

And that was fucking it! His hand slammed down on his comm and he snapped, "Get your green-blooded ass down here, now!" Satisfied his misery would soon have company, he yanked a bottle of bourbon out of his lower desk draw then poured himself a generous glass. Didn't taste half as good as when he shared it with Jim, but it would do in a pinch.

He'd finished half the glass when Spock entered. "You wished to see me, Doctor?"

Leonard rolled his eyes. "This is all your damned fault!"

An eyebrow arched, and Spock would hurt himself some day if he kept trying to play in Leonard's league. "Specify."

He snorted into his glass. Yeah, he'd love a little specification himself. "I fucking _told_ you not to propose on Valentine's Day!"

Spock blinked and if things hadn't gone to such deep levels of shit, Leonard might have taken a moment to celebrate. "I fail to see-"

"Nothing good ever happens on that ode to incontinent cherubs!"

"But, in fact, she did accept my propo-"

"Goody for you. Jim's not speaking to me and half the crew wants to throw me out the nearest airlock!"

Being a Vulcan, Spock did not snort and suggest half might be an underestimation, but Leonard could see the bastard thinking it. "Again, I fail to see what this has to do with me."

He slammed his drink down. "Something happened at that stupid party to upset Jim, but I didn't see what it was because I was too busy playing wingman to a chicken with pointy ears!" He jabbed his finger at the extra chair. "So plant it and help me figure out what happened!"

"I have duties-"

"Sit or I tell Nyota I really picked out the ring!" Leonard had developed quite an eye for quality jewelry in his fruitless attempts at Valentine perfection. Spock and, more importantly, Nyota had reaped the benefits. Hell, he'd even put in the order himself so Nyota wouldn't see anything in the supply logs connecting the jewelry box to Spock.

Spock gave him the Vulcan equivalent of a glare, but sat. Not that it did any good. He merely confirmed what Leonard already knew. Spock had ignored Leonard's advice and proposed at the holiday party. Nyota had accepted. Speeches and congratulations had followed – Leonard had even given his share of them despite his reservations about the day. Somewhere in there Jim had gone from a happy, hyper supernova to a black hole of gloom. Leonard had always known Vulcans were highly overrated.

"Perhaps if you were to simply ask the Captain what is wrong?"

Leonard almost choked on his last swallow then glared at Spock. "Have you ever met Jim 'Nothing's Wrong Here' Kirk?"

Spock inclined his head. "I take your point, Doctor, but I fear we have run out of alternative possibilities."

He gave Spock a look of pure dislike – mostly because he was right – then snapped, "Computer, locate Captain Kirk."

"Captain Kirk is in his quarters."

Well, at least this chat with Spock had killed the rest of the duty shift. "Thanks for all the help," he said with his best scathing drawl.

"You are quite welcome, Doctor. Please let me know if I can be of further service."

Unimpressed by Spock's usual pretense of not understanding sarcasm, Leonard took a moment to glare again then stormed out of his office. A man on a mission, he no longer noticed any miscellaneous glares shot his way by indignant personnel and swiftly arrived at Jim's quarters. Given the 'so not welcome anywhere near me' vibes he'd gotten from Jim in the last twenty-four hours, he opted for polite and activated the chime.

Nothing.

So much for manners. "Jim, I know you're in there. Open the damned door." Nothing. Fine. Since the day they'd boarded the ship, they'd had the access codes for each other's quarters, so he tried that next. It didn't surprise him when his failed to open the door – an angry Jim was a thorough Jim. But he was a desperate and therefore unscrupulous man, and he didn't hesitate to punch in his CMO override.

"That's a fucking abuse of power!" Jim snapped when Leonard walked in.

"Yep," he admitted, not at all repentant, then crossed his arms over his chest and glared. "Now what the fuck is your problem?"

"I'm in love with a jackass, that's what!" Jim shot back, trying to move around Leonard and toward the door.

"You knew that the day we met," he answered, shifting to block the exit. Jim had the training to move him, but Leonard was counting on his lover not being furious enough to want to inflict any sort of physical damage.

Jim glared, but moved away. "Yeah, but you didn't have to rub my face in it."

"Damnit, how?"

For a moment Jim looked like he was teetering on the edge of answering 'if you don't know, I'm not telling,' but then he sighed heavily. The anger seemed to deflate out of him leaving. … Oh, hell. Not sulking or pouting or anything else Leonard could handle, but eyes glittering with pain.

"Look, Bones, I get it. Hey, I even appreciate you making the attempt to do something nice for Spock. And you had no way of knowing I'd see the supply log, but. …" he sighed again.

Somehow it was enough for Leonard to figure it out. "You thought I'd bought the ring for you?" Because now that he thought about it, the day the ring had arrived did match up to the start of the happy, hyper bit.

Jim nodded.

"And you thought I was going to propose to you on Valentine's Day?"

Another nod.

Leonard shook his head. Maybe he'd been a little too careful with his secrets. "Darlin', I'd never do that."

Jim flinched. "I got the message. All those cracks about the stupidity of marriage made it pretty clear."

Oh, hell. "No, that's not it. Jim, I found out Jocelyn was cheating on me on Valentine's Day."

Blue eyes widened. "Shit. Look, I'm sorry. I just got my nose out of joint thinking your idea of hell was being married to me."

"No, but … Jim no one even knows about our relationship. Why would you think I'd propose in front of everyone?"

Jim rolled his eyes. "Are you shitting me? The whole fucking crew's figured it out! There's a damned betting pool on when you'll break down and admit it!"

He caught another flash of pain and double, fucking hell. He'd thought Jim wanted to keep things private, too. Instead he'd just been going along with Leonard's demands while dreaming about marriage. "You think I'm ashamed of being in a relationship with you."

"Who wouldn't be? The infamous manwhore of Riverside, Iowa and Starfleet Academy. I'm not the sort of guy anyone wants to risk making promises of 'til death do us part' with."

The words made Leonard's anger flare again. "God damnit, Jim, when you get it wrong, you really get it fucking wrong!"

"What the-?"

He grabbed hold of Jim's arms, and gave him a quick shake. "I didn't want the humiliation on top of the pain it was going to cause when you figured out you could do a hell of a lot better than a grouchy old man with a failed marriage under his belt!"

"I don't fucking care! I love _you!"_

"Fine!" Leonard snapped, yanked the class ring off his little finger then jammed it onto Jim's. "Consider yourself fucking engaged!" Which would never go down in the annals of time as the most romantic proposal, but what the hell, it fit them.

Jim's eyes got huge as he stared at the ring, then Leonard, then back to the ring. Finally, he made a little sound in the back of his throat and suddenly Leonard had his arms full of the happy, hyper supernova.

He supposed that counted as a yes. "Are you sure?"

Jim clutched his be-ringed finger close to his chest. "No take-backs!"

Leonard laughed. "No," he agreed, giving Jim a kiss. "No take-backs."

"Good. Now you should fuck me. You know, to make up for all the trauma I suffered through."

Out of habit, Leonard opened his mouth to argue but came to his senses in time and swooped Jim up into his arms. He carried him over to the bed then let him gently drop onto the mattress.

Jim reached for him when he didn't follow, whining, "Boooones."

"Hold that thought," he said activating the bedside comm. "Attention crew. This is Doctor McCoy. Whoever had today in the betting pool wins. The Captain and I are getting married. That is all."

Jim grinned. Leonard pounced. And hey, at least he'd finally gotten a post-Valentine's Day perfect.

end


End file.
